Theater-seat hat-rack.



E. EKMAN.

THEATER SEAT HAT RACK. APPLICATION FILI-:n MAILS. Ism.

E $55972., Patented. Feb. 5, 1918.

TAIR@ ATi/ENT ERNST EKMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ERNST H. CARLSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

THEATER-SEAT HAT-RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

patented Feb.. 5, 191e.

To all whom it may concern.' Y Be it known that I, ERNST EKMAN, a citizen of the United States of America,

' and a resident ot' Chicago, county ot' Cook,

and State or" Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in rlhcater- Seat Hat-Racks, of which the following is a specification.

The main objects of this invention are to provide an improved form of hat rack part-icularly adaptable for use on theater seats; to provide a hat rack that will accommodate hats of large size and dimensions; to provide aV hat raclr that will fold up so as to occupy very little space when tbc seat to which it is attached is turned up to a vertical position; and to provide a hat rack ot' basket or bowl-shaped form that will eompletely surround and support a hat placed therein.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in. the accompanying drawings. in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in sec tion, of a theater seat provided with the improved form of hat rack, the seat member being in horizontal or operative position.

l? ig. 2 is the same view, but with the seat member turned to an upright position showing the hat rack receptacle in folded position.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail of one of the supporting members for the hat rack.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line A-A oit' Fig. 3.

This invention relates to a hat rack of basket or bowl shape, which is secured at its rear edge to the under side of a theater seat at the rear edge thereof, the front edge of the hat rack being normally held yieldingly in close relation to the under side of the front edge of the theater seat. This arrangement permits the front edge of the hat rack to be grasped and pressed downwardly sufficiently to permit a hat to be placed in the receptacle. It is then released, and yielding means brings the receptacle back to its normal position. The hat thusplaced in the rack is entirely surrounded and supported in such a manner that it is impossible for it to fall out.

In the construction shown in the drawings, the theater seat 1, having the usual back 2 and arms 3, is provided with a seat member 4 pivoted thereto at 5 in the customary manner.

The under side of the seat 4 at the rear edge thereof is provided with a pair of supports 6 and 7 secured to the seat, preferably by means of screws S. The hat rack is pivotally mounted at its rear edge on the supports 6 and 7 and comprises a main frame member 9 preferably formed from a single rod and bent back upon itself near the front edge thereof so as to form upstanding arms 10 which normally bear against the under side of the seat member 4. The main frame member 9 supports a collapsible basket or bowl-shaped hat receptacle formed by a plurality of depending chains or flexible members 11, the lower ends ot' which are drawn inwardly and are attached to a common bottom plate or member 12.

A plurality of wire rings 13 of varying diameters are disposed medially of the top and bottom of the chains 11, and are connected thereto so as to hold the chains in spaced relation.

Means are provided for normally urging the front edge 14 of the hat receptacle up into close relation with the under side of the front edge of the seat member 4 and comprise a pair of springs 15 located one at each of the supporting members 6 and 7. Each of the springs 15 is coiled about a sleeve 16 which is slipped over the main frame member 9 and is secured thereto by means ot' a set screw 17. One end 1S of the spring 15 bears against the supporting member and the other end 19 of the spring is coiled about the set screw 17.

In the operation of the device, when it is desired to place a` hat in the hat rack, the front edge 14 of the rack is grasped and pushed downwardly pivoting about its rear edge. The hat is then placed in the rack and the rack released. The coiled springs 15 bearing between their supports and the frame member 9 causes the front end of the rack to be swung upwardly into close relation with the under side of the seat member 4, bringing the upstanding arms 10 into Contact therewith. rIhe hat is thus entirely surrounded, thereby rendering it impossible for it to accidentally fall out.

If the hat should have an exceptionally wide brim, the edges of the brim will protrude out beyond the peripheral edges of the hat rack, but the only parts of the rack which come in contact with the brim will be the upstanding arms 10, thereby in no wise injuring the hat.

lWhen the hat is removed and the seat ro tated to an upright position, by reason ofv the loose chainworl; and ring construction, the hat receptacle will by its own weight fold back compactly against the under side of the seat 4 as shown in Fig.`3, thereby not being in the way of people passing by the seat.

The foregoing construction provides a hat rack of'laige capacity, both in depth and circumference, which will automatically fall back into position when the seat is turned to upright position, so as to not be in the way of persons passing along in front of the seat.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following` claims.

I claim:

1.V rThe combination of a support, a seat member pivotally mounted on said support and adapted to be rotated from a horizontal to an upright position, aV hat rack mounted on the under side of said seat meniber and comprisinga collapsible basket or bowl-shaped receptacle adapted to hold a hat and pivoted at its rear end to the rear end of saidseat member, yielding means for normally urging the front end of said receptacle up into close relation with the under side of said seat member, said receptacle being adapted to assume an open or extended position when said seat is in a horizontal position and to assume a folded or col* lapsed position when said seat member is turned to an upright position.

2. The combination of a. support, a seat member pivotally mounted on said support and adapted to be rotated from a horizontal to an upright position, a hat rack mounted on the under side of said seat member and comprising a main frame member pivoted at its rear end to the rear end of said seat member, yielding means for normally urging the front end of said frame member up into close relation with the under side of said seat member, and a collapsible basket or bowl-shaped receptacle adapted member, yielding` means for normally urging the front end of said framelmember up into close relation with the under sdevof said seat member, and a pluralityof depending flexible members having their upperends mounted on said main frame member, the lower ends of said flexible members being secured together so as to form a .bowl-V shaped receptacle adapted to hold a hat, said receptacle being adapted to assume an open or extended position when said seat is in a horizontal position and to assume a folded or collapsed position when said seat member is turned to an upright position.

Il. The combination ofra support, a seat member pivotally mounted on said support and adapted to be rotated from a horizontal to an upright position, a hat rack mounted on the under sideof said seat member and comprising a main frame member pivoted at its rear end to the rear end of Vsaid seat member, yielding means for normally urging the front end of said frame member up into close relation with the under side of said seat member, and a plurality of depending fiexible members having their upper ends mounted on said main frame member, a Y plurality of rings of varying diameters mounted on said flexible members between the upper and lower ends thereof so as to hold said members in spaced relation, the lower ends of said flexible meinbersbeing secured together so as .to form a. lbowlshaped receptacle adapted to hold a hat, said receptacle being adapted to assume an open or extended position when said seat is in a horizontal position and to assumeV a folded or collapsed position when said seat member is turned to an upright position.

Sgned at Chicago this 28th'day of Feb.

ERNSTV EKMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing'the Commissioner of-Patents,

Washington, D. U. 

